New alert issued and inspection called after Huntingdon racecourse drowns in murky water amid Storm Henk deluge
FRESH alerts have been issued and an inspection called after Huntingdon racecourse drowned in murky water for a third straight day.
The Cambridgeshire track has faced the full force of Storm Henk, with most of its pristine surface completely underwater on Friday.
A massive surge in the nearby Alconbury Brook on Thursday night led to the jumps course being totally submerged.
The astonishing photos were strikingly similar to what was seen earlier in the week – when the track looked a total write-off – and last month, when rainwater lapped at the foot of the main buildings.
A fresh flood alert has been issued to local residents, with the area around the racecourse deemed ‘most at risk’.
Incredibly, an inspection will be held on Monday to see if racing can take place there next Friday.
Huntingdon lost its biggest race of the year, the Peterborough Chase, last month and the Grade 2 contest was never rescheduled.
But the extent of flooding then was nothing compared to what it is now.
Racing was meant to take place at the award-winning venue on Wednesday of this week but was abandoned.
Some two-thirds of the course is totally underwater but the critical buildings such as weighing rooms and offices are, miraculously, free of water.
Worcester and Stratford racecourses have also struggled as most of the UK comes under a severe weather warning.
Kayakers paddled down the home straight at Worcester while Stratford resembled a giant lake.
Champion trainer Paul Nicholls was forced to rescue horses left ‘literally floating’ at 11pm last night.
He had to rush out to his Ditcheat yard in Somerset to rush six horses to safety.
The legendary handler said: “The river nearby burst its banks, with water backing up everywhere.
“One of the yards we’ve got just started to flood.
“We had to move half a dozen horses out. They were literally floating around in their boxes.
“But that’s the first time it’s happened in 15 years and we were prepared for it.”
The non-stop rain has already decimated the fixture schedule – and looks set to disrupt it further.
Sandown’s big Saturday card, which was to be shown on ITV, has been cancelled.
While Chepstow’s racing on Sunday was cancelled earlier in the week after they took in more than 140mm of rain.
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